PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA             Item No.      5c 
ACTION ITEM            Date of Meeting    July 24, 2012 

DATE:    July 13, 2012 
TO:      Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:   Nick Harrison, Senior Manager, Airport Operations 
Wayne Grotheer, Director, Aviation Project Management Group 
SUBJECT:  Short Term Federal Inspection Services (FIS) Improvements project at Seattle-
Tacoma International Airport (CIP #C800426) 
Amount of This Request:  $284,000     Source of Funds: Airport Development Funds 
Est. State and Local Taxes: $46,800 
Est. Total Project Cost:    $1,041,000 
ACTION REQUESTED: 
Request authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to design the Federal Inspection Services
Short-Term Improvements project in an amount not to exceed $284,000 out of a total estimated
project cost of $1,041,000. 
SYNOPSIS: 
The Airport's existing FIS facility is extremely congested at peak travel times, forcing our
arriving international passengers to wait longer before they are allowed to pass though passport
control. The large volume of passengers and confusing signs and path of travel further decreases
efficient throughput. This project seeks to make the least expensive, minimally necessary
changes in the international corridor and FIS facility to improve conditions and throughput while
the Port and its airline partners plan a more permanent solution. The goals of these
improvements are to create a more comfortable waiting experience for arriving passengers in the
international corridor and to increase throughput from the international corridor to passport
control and ultimately out to connecting flights or local Seattle destinations. These short-term
improvements focus on minor changes with immediate benefit. 
This project was included in the 2012  2016 capital budget and plan of finance with a budget of
$31.7 million. The scope of the project has been greatly reduced since staff now anticipates the
need to build a new FIS facility sooner than previous plans contemplated. 
BACKGROUND: 
FIS for international arrivals at the Airport is located in an aging South Satellite facility
originally designed for the level of inspections and passenger flows that existed in the early
1970s; the facility has not been significantly updated since. Today, international air service into
the Airport continues to grow in both passenger volume and route service. Up to half of the

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 13, 2012 
Page 2 of 5 
Airport's international flights arrive during the highly congested peak period between 11:00 a.m. 
and 2:00 p.m., with a total of eight wide-body flights during this period. 
International flight activity is forecasted to further increase during this peak period and the FIS
will be unable to accommodate the increased loads. In 2011, 56 flights had to hold passengers,
on board the arriving aircraft or in the international corridor area, immediately after
disembarking. This caused delays ranging from 5 to 30 minutes before they were allowed to
enter the FIS passport control area. Half of these held flights arrived during the hot months of
August and September. Passengers from 39 of these flights were held in the international
corridor of the South Satellite, but 17 were held on-board aircraft in uncomfortably warm
conditions because of space limitations in the corridor. Some of these on-board holds ultimately
caused delays to departing international flights. In all cases, holding passengers causes a major
inconvenience for travelers anxious to disembark after a flight that may be nine or ten hours in
duration. Holding can also cause passengers to miss their connecting domestic flight out of Sea-
Tac. Airport Operations expects that hold-on-board times will increase due to new daily service
of Emirates Airlines and All Nippon Airways, as well as increased frequency of Hainan flights in
2012. 
Preliminary planning for development of a new FIS facility has begun, but some minor
improvements to the existing FIS facility are necessary now to improve processing speeds and
create a more comfortable environment to hold passengers in the international corridor during
peak periods or irregular operations that exceed current throughput of FIS passenger processing. 
PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 
A new, modern FIS facility is still several years away so the Port must improve the existing
facility now to extend its useful life until the new facility is built. At this time, our airline
partners do not support a multimillion dollar "mid-term" improvements package for the existing
facility, as the Port had proposed in late 2011, so the Port has refocused the scope of short-term
improvements to only minor improvements in the FIS.
Currently the international corridor has portable stanchions to queue and separate passengers
prior to the passport control entrance. This project replaces them with fixed stanchions that
eliminate the need for daily adjustments, hunting down missing stanchions, or purchase of
replacement stanchions. These new fixed stanchions will be complemented with seating or
leaning rails in the international corridor for passengers to rest as they wait to be cleared to enter
the passport control area 
Additionally, as we continue to hold passengers from multiple flights simultaneously, new
dynamic signs and a new public address system are needed for more effective communication to
waiting passengers. This will help maintain an orderly flow and improve throughput in the
facility. The old and broken public address system, currently only functional in passport control,
needs to be replaced and expanded to the international corridor. Improved dynamic signs in the
international corridor and the baggage claim level FIS exit, plus installation of new partial-height
guide walls at the exit to the satellite transit system station will reduce confusion and increase
throughput for passengers as they make the decision to exit to bag claim or to connect to their
next flight.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 13, 2012 
Page 3 of 5 
This project will also reposition the existing three Global Entry passport control kiosks to a more
effective, centralized location and install three additional new kiosks for a total of six. These
quick-processing kiosks are anticipated to increase throughput from passport control to bag
claim, thus ultimately decreasing the hold-on-board and wait times for passengers in the
international corridor. 
PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK AND SCHEDULE: 
Scope of Work: 
Perform minor facility improvements at the FIS international corridor, passport control and
baggage claim levels of the South Satellite to include the following: 
Installation of fixed-to-floor stanchions throughout the international corridor; 
Installation of a new public address system in the international corridor and an upgrade of
the existing public address system in the passport control area; 
Installation of electronic wayfinding signage in the international corridor and secondary
inspections area; 
Addition of minimal seating or a leaning rail in the international corridor for waiting 
passengers; 
Improvements to wayfinding and passenger traffic control at the secondary inspections
exit to the TSA checkpoint; and 
Relocation of three Global Entry kiosks and installation of an additional three for a total
of six kiosks. 
Schedule: 
Begin Design     3rd Qtr 2012 
Begin Construction  1st Qtr 2013 
Project Completion  3rd Qtr 2013 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: 
Budget/Authorization Summary:               Capital       Expense    Total Project 
Original Budget                        $31,700,000           $0     $31,700,000 
Budget Decrease                     ($30,659,000)          $0   ($30,659,000) 
Revised Budget                        $1,041,000          $0     $1,041,000 
Previous Authorizations                     $475,000           $0       $475,000 
Current request for authorization                $284,000            $0       $284,000 
Total Authorizations, including this request         $759,000            $0       $759,000 
Remaining budget to be authorized             $282,000           $0      $282,000 
Total Estimated Project Cost                $1,041,000           $0     $1,041,000 
Project Cost Breakdown:                 This Request    Total Project 
Construction                                 $0       $572,400 
Construction Management                   $74,450       $148,900 
Design                               $150,000       $150,000 
Project Management                      $56,680       $113,330

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 13, 2012 
Page 4 of 5 
Permitting                                $2,870         $5,720 
State & Local Taxes (estimated)                    $0        $46,800 
Public Art                                    $0         $3,850 
Total                                   $284,000      $1,041,000 
The budget and scope as originally planned included a number of construction elements aimed at
increasing the capacity of the existing FIS facility to put off as long as possible the need for a
new or expanded FIS facility. At the time, it was also assumed that the most likely approach
would be to expand the existing FIS facility. Presently, the need for a new facility is more urgent,
and there is a greater likelihood that the preferred alternative will be a new FIS facility. Thus,
investing $31.7 million in the existing facility did not seem prudent. 
Budget Status and Source of Funds: 
The Short Term Federal Inspection Services (FIS) Improvements project was included in the
2012-2016 capital budget and plan of finance (CIP #C800426) with a budget of $31,700,000.
The budget reduction of $10,600,000 has been transferred to Aeronautical New Projects
(C102165) and $20,059,000 to Aeronautical Renewal/Replace (C102166). The funding source
will be the Airport Development Fund.
Financial Analysis and Summary: 
CIP Category             Interior Improvement 
Project Type              Renewal & Replacement 
Risk adjusted discount rate     N/A 
Key risk factors             N/A 
Project cost for analysis        $1,041,000 
Business Unit (BU)          Terminal 
Effect on business performance  NOI after depreciation 
IRR/NPV             N/A 
CPE Impact             $0.01 CPE in 2013, this project was included in the
capital budget and plan of finance. 
Lifecycle Cost and Savings: 
The improvements will be amortized over a relatively short period (approximately five years)
reflecting the planning assumption that a new FIS facility will be built. The improvements will
not result in any significant changes to ongoing maintenance costs. 
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES: 
This project promotes the Port's strategic objectives to "Ensure Airport and Seaport Vitality" and
"Be a Catalyst for Regional Transportation Solutions by providing our international arrival
passengers with a more comfortable and efficient FIS facility. Additional seating, new public
address systems, additional Global Entry kiosks and improved wayfinding all improve conditions
and throughput for international arrivals.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 13, 2012 
Page 5 of 5 
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: 
This project will foster environmental stability by maximizing use of the existing Port FIS asset
and will utilize low energy demand electronics equipment where feasible and available. 
BUSINESS PLAN OBJECTIVES: 
The minor improvements included in this project fit the Airport's business plan objective to
operate a world-class international airport by anticipating and meeting the needs of our tenants
and passengers that use the FIS facility. 
TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE SUMMARY: 
This project makes a small investment in improvements to an existing Port asset that will
improve throughput in the FIS and improve the passenger experience for international arrivals.
The small scale of this project makes little to no impact on the environment. 
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS: 
Alternative 1. Immediately invest $400 million or more in a long-term FIS solution, as identified
in a recent FIS planning study. Although this is the ultimate, more permanent solution to the
Airport's FIS needs, a project of this scale would not be completed for a minimum of five years
and therefore does not provide the short-term solutions offered by this project. 
Alternative 2. Invest $37 million or more in a mid-term solution that addresses significant
baggage carousel capacity, major queuing revisions and associated Customs and Border
Protection office reconfigurations. The airlines have strongly indicated they are not in favor of
supporting this investment at this time. 
Alternative 3. Invest a relatively modest amount to complete short-term improvements that
improve communication and wayfinding, reduce uncontrolled congestion, and improve the
comfort level for international passengers arriving at the congested peak times. This is the
recommended alternative. 
OTHER DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS REQUEST: 
None. 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS: 
January 25, 2011, Port Commission authorized $475,000 for planning and pre-design
work and execution of a design contract for the FIS Mid-Term Improvements Phase 1
(CIP #C800426) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. 
February 2, 2010, Port Commission received a staff briefing on South Satellite
passenger growth and facility considerations, Delta's proposed airline lounge, and other
possible future Aviation projects.